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Ancient West African Legends

Explaining the World Through Mythology: Tales of Far-Away Lands and Long-Ago Times

Presented by Dr. Sharonah Fredrick, Assistant Director, ACMRS

Thursday, June 9, 2016 at 6:30pm
Southeast Regional Library - Gilbert
775 N. Greenfield Rd. Gilbert, AZ 85234Free and open to the public

The Orixas, worshipped today from Brazil to West Africa, have their origin in the rich epic tales of tenth century Nigeria. There, gods and humans intermingled, and their literary/oral avatars, whether the sea goddess Yemanja, the jester god Exu, the queen of love and beauty Oxun, or the god of thunder and iron, Xango, shared the dramas, triumphs, and amorous entanglements that are perhaps more familiar to Western publics through Greek mythology. Like ancient Greek religion, thought, myth and parable empowers its worshippers with vivid examples: the stories themselves, which teach human beings how to behave, and teach a great deal about the time periods in which these stories came into being, from medieval Africa to Renaissance Brazil and the Caribbean Sea.